"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." - Unknown

It's April Fool's Day, but this newsletter is no joke. This is an inspiring story about the awesome lady pictured above, Kim. I have known Kim for years and this year she had a major breakthrough in some things that were holding her back from reaching her goals. One of the major things that we choose to ignore, because it's hard and sometimes not fun, is our diet. But there is truth in the saying, "We are what we eat". When you eat like crap, you feel like crap. And when you fuel your body well, it performs well. Even those small little things you don't pay attention to can add up to major set backs over time. So read on my friends, and be inspired to challenge yourself to a little healthy competition (see what I did there?!):

Look, sugar and cheese, it’s not me… it’s totally you(the heroic tale of how I broke up with sugar and cheese for good)Kim Evans

I have known Amy for a few years now. She was one of my favorite trainers at my old gym, and as soon as that gym closed, I was more than happy to follow her straight over to Ironroot. I never even visited another gym or considered going anywhere else. For at least a year before coming to Ironroot, I could feel that I was getting stronger and building lots of muscle, but I was frustrated that I could never seem to lose any weight. My trainers, including Amy, kept suggesting that I “clean up my diet” and I kept rolling my eyes. Anyone thinking that they were going to come between cheese and I had another thing coming. Besides, I already had a pretty good diet- I avoided sugar, was working on cutting out artificial sweeteners, ate lots of fruits and veggies, and maintained a pescaterian diet…. How much cleaner could my diet really get?!?

So here I am at Ironroot, loving the classes, it’s the holiday season and I’m feeling sluggish and, quite frankly… fat. Amy mentions a nutrition challenge to start 2016 off on the right foot. Per usual, I ignored her suggestions at how wonderful it would make me feel. I read her adorable emails and then deleted them. And then, one day, I was really bored at work, and started to read more about the paleo diet and whether or not someone who doesn’t eat much meat could really hang in there. By the time I was done researching, I was convinced that it might be a good idea to give this whole nutrition reboot a try. Before I changed my mind, I emailed Amy telling her I was in. Amy has asked me to write up my experience because (spoiler alert!) I’ve lost over 20 pounds since January…. And the results were not what I expected at all.

Alright, so to recap for those of you who were also deleting the emails, month 1 was no drinking- which was too easy for me given that I don’t drink much anyway (hangovers over the age of 30, ugh, am I right?!?!?). Month 2 was no added sweeteners (and I stuck with no drinking too). The grand finale was month 3, which was paleo month. The whole thing was designed to ramp up to the epic finale of eating like a cave person. So, I lost a little bit of weight in month 1, but I assume that was due to my “new year’s resolution” mentality more than not drinking. Month 2 was when the real magic happened. I lost about 14 pounds in the month of February! I was shocked by this- here I was thinking that I was really good about not having sugar in my diet, when in fact, I was eating a lot more of it than I thought I was! The first week was no big deal, but by week 2 I was realizing that I sort of missed going into our HR person’s office to steal a snack sized kit kat. I was glaring at the people in my office that kept brining in doughnuts. I thought I was pretty good at reading labels at the grocery store, but I quickly learned that TONS of stuff I was buying had sugar hidden in it- like pasta sauce, my favorite “whole wheat bread”, and my coveted kind bars. By the end of February, I felt great, and was excited to see what paleo had to offer me.

The first week of paleo was terrible. I had a dull headache I could not get rid of, I was SO tired all the time (and extra sleep didn’t seem to help), it felt like my body was weighed down, and I was constantly hungry. Also, and I’m just keeping it real here, I had more than one dream about cheese. Yes, for real. I stuck with it though and after the first week I started to feel MUCH better. By the end of week 2 I had noticed 2 things: 1- I was still feeling hungry all the time, and 2- my weight loss had slowed down. I was still losing weight, but not nearly as quickly. As a way to make myself feel more satisfied, I started to snack more…like WAY more than normal. And while the snacks were paleo friendly, they were definitely not helping my weight loss goals. I realized that healthy grains (like quinoa, sprouted wheat bread) had been HELPING me to lose weight in February because I felt more satisfied when I ate them (even if it was just one serving/ day)…. And the reason I wasn’t losing weight anymore was because I wasn’t satisfied, I was hungry. I missed grains.

So… the whole point of my ranting is to share my experience with you guys. And here are some conclusions I came to….

I’m really glad I did the nutrition challenge. Having people at the gym to complain about Amy (Kidding! Well, mostly…) and how much we missed wine/ sugar/ etc was a huge help. And once I had gone a few weeks of being diligent, I needed this support less and less.

I am really good at following rules! I could not believe that I stuck with it after month 1, was thrilled after month 2, and DID end up having a few slip ups in month 3, but I was able to balance those out and stick with it through the end.

The challenge made me SO much more mindful of how certain foods affect my body. I know now that I just can’t eat a lot of cheese… it needs to be a once in a while kind of food. On the other hand….

I need grains in my diet. Just some, not tons. I think they help me to feel satiated which prevents me from snacking… which helps me to keep shedding the extra weight I am still carrying around.

As of the writing of this article, I am almost 21 pounds lighter than I was on January 1st. I have been so inspired by how these small changes can make such a big impact that I am going to go back to what I was doing in February…. Healthy grains okay, sugar and cheese, not so much. Ultimately, paleo is not for me BUT it did help me to become aware of how gross dairy was making me feel… and, as I mentioned above, I have become MUCH more mindful of what I am eating. Overall, I would say this nutrition challenge was a massive success for me, and the next time Amy suggests we do one, I know I’ll be in…. you should think about doing it too!

"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." - Bruce Lee

Recently, while listening to a podcast on handstands, I heard an amazing assessment about the correlation between strength and flexibility. The guest speaker was explaining how muscle resistance (A.K.A. lack of flexibility) adds "weight" and makes the body inefficient. He gave the example of lifting 25lbs overhead, and how, with more muscle resistance, the "heavier" the weight. So to get stronger, he said, you can gain more muscle mass (therefore likely adding more resistance) or you can increase the pliability, flexibility and mobility of your muscles (therefore increasing efficiency of the body and moving better). I fully support this idea, which is why we offer yoga with our strength training! BAM!

Unfortunately, flexibility is not as externally "sexy" as muscle mass, so it is really hard to convince people of this. And getting some people to come to yoga (oh, and you know who you are!) is almost impossible. So I challenge you, step out of your comfort zone for a month. Grab your mat and come to yoga, I promise your body will thank you. When you naturally move better, you will feel better, and ultimately that is what it's all about; to move as well as we can for as long as we can.

Another rigid part of our body that keeps us stiff: the brain. Think you're not interested in yoga or strength training? No prob! Why not try something new? Lucky for you we have two new classes coming up:

SUNDAY MARCH 6, 11a-12p- ZOOMBA! A fun, high paced cardio class that will keep you moving. This class is FREE, so come by and check it out.

"Present results do not predict future reality. We create the future by our current thoughts, feelings and actions." Anonymous

Happy 2016! Who or what are you currently creating with your present thoughts? With every passing year we learn new things, realize who we are and where we're going, and decide to take action to get there. Sometimes we fall off the path, and that's ok; you can pick up where you left off at any point in the year, not just January 1. Change and growth are constant, and just remembering to live in the moment keeps us moving in the right direction.

Part of our change and growth at Iron Root in 2016 is the addition of Tai Chi. The instructor, Kris Winkler of Marietta Tai Chi and Qi Gong, has this to say about the upcoming class:

"Learn true relaxation of your body and mind through the ancient discipline of Tai Chi. The benefits of this art are unparalleled and include:

increase whole body suppleness

release tension of the neck, back and all other joints through real relaxation

strengthen core muscle groups responsible for better posture

release stress through one-pointed focus of the mind

boost energy levels through an increase in blood flow, Qi circulation and endorphins

If you're looking for a way to reduce stress and feel healthier, consider Tai Chi. Originally developed for self-defense, Tai Chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. Often described as meditation in motion, Tai Chi promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements performed in a slow, focused manner, accompanied by deep breathing."

Interested? Me too! Come check out the free intro class on SUNDAY JANUARY 24 from 1-2p.

Part of the other exciting news is that we made it through our first year...YAY! To celebrate, we are throwing a party and I hope you will stop by. On SATURDAY JANUARY 30 from 3-6p we will be ringing in the new year, and our first year, in style. There will be a craft market featuring local handmade goodies you can buy yourself or a loved one (Valentine's Day is right around the corner!) like soaps, candles, body scrubs and lotions, greeting cards, pottery and more. At 4:30p we'll have local band Chu Victoria (http://www.chuvictoria.com/) stop by to play us some ditties. And of course there will be refreshments to enjoy. Please come by, say hi, dance a jig and start the new year off right.

One last noteworthy item is our NEW YEAR, NEW YOU special. For the month of January only we are offering a discount on our 12 month membership: $140/month (originally $160). That's a pretty good saving over the course of the year (over $200!), so get in while you can!

We at Iron Root Studio hope your 2016 is off to a great start, and we hope to see you soon!

This sentiment has been around a long time. I had a student the other day tell me she's been so sore for days. And then she paused and said, "But it's such a good sore!" and we laughed and moved on. I was thinking about her comment later in the day and about how, in the exercise world, being sore is a source of pride. On one hand it is a good thing, it gives people something to commiserate over, to compare what's more sore and to share in the collective knowledge that they worked hard and now have tangible proof. All of that is good. True.

But is being sore really good? And is striving for soreness the only indicator to a good workout? Being sore definitely shows that something new was done, that your muscles are being broken down only to come back stronger, that you worked hard and pushed yourself out of your comfort zone. Again, all of that is good. But when the soreness turns into pain, or lasts longer than it should, then something is wrong. And ignoring it only makes it worse. When we ignore what our body is saying, we risk long-term, if not permanent, injury. And that is not good.

In yoga we talk about the ego getting in the way of listening to the body. Sometimes we need a little ego in order to make progress, we have to want to get better, for whatever reason, and challenge ourselves to grow. But when the ego keeps us stuck in a cycle of pain, growth stops and recovery never begins. I believe this relates to our daily life as well. Think about the people you know who always seem to have drama around them; there's always something wrong, or something broken, or some upset that keeps them stuck in a cycle of pain. In life, drama is the workout that leads to being sore. Some people need to be sore to feel like they got a good workout, some people need to have drama in order to feel alive. But just as muscle soreness is actual micro tears in the muscle fiber, emotional soreness is micro tears in your sense of self worth. And when you don't give your body a chance to heal, you end up with an injury, and injuries, whether physical or emotional, take a long time heal.

If you find yourself stuck in this cycle of pain, instead of pushing and ignoring and causing more hurt, maybe try a workout of kindness instead. Be gentle to your body, your mind, your heart, until you feel the pain subside. Be ok with the stillness, the quiet, the lack of sweat or drama and allow yourself to grow in a different way, a way that makes you stronger AND pain-free. Because the old adage of 'no pain, no gain' doesn't always need to be true.

"If you think you are only strong if you can lift a certain number, whatever that number is, you will feel pretty weak most of the time. Strength is not a data point; it's not a number. It's an ATTITUDE." - Pavel Tsatsouline

Strength is a huge component of the studio, and Pavel's quote really sums up the true definition of it; you have to BELIEVE that you are, and can be, strong. So! Are you ready to change your attitude and therefore change your strength? Lucky for you we have the perfect way to do that next weekend. On Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 10a we are hosting a StrongFirst Kettlebell User Course with Delaine Ross. We will nerd out on common kettlebell exercises and corrections to even more common problems, so come with your brains awake and your pencils sharp.

"When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run." - Abraham Lincoln

The above image is of a Hindu deity, Lord Ganesha, known as the Remover of Obstacles. He is one of the most popular deities for obvious reasons: we all have obstacles that we would like removed. There are mudras related to him, specific mantras to be said, statues to place around...all in the hopes of having this elephant-headed god fix our lives. But how many of these obstacles do we choose to hold on to out of habit, or fear, or whatever other excuse we can come up with? We can ask Ganesha to remove our obstacles all day long but in the end he needs a little help from us. So, what are you holding on to that you'd like to have removed? What obstacles are standing in your way of living your life more fully, of becoming the happier, more authentic you?

How we choose to spend our time and who we choose to spend our time with plays a big part in this. Are you enriching your life with the company you keep? Do they make you smile, fill your heart, sing to your soul? Or do they leave you feeling drained and depressed and questioning your own value? The latter are not friends, they are energy vampires. "Energy vampires are emotionally immature individuals who have the sense that the whole world revolves around them." (pyschcentral.com) These people take and take and take and eventually leave you with nothing but exhaustion and feeling bad about who you are. But YOU ARE AMAZING! And you deserve to surround yourself with people who think so too! So while it may be hard to be your own remover of obstacles, do it for yourself, because you are worth it and deserve better. As the quote above implies, don't hold on to something that doesn't want to be held, even if it's in the guise of your own personal Ganesha.

One way to clear your own obstacles is to enrich your life. What makes you happy? Do you feel good about where you are and where you're going? How is your health? An easy way to boost energy and confidence is by working out (ahem...) and creating healthy eating habits. When you feel good, you look good and when you look good, you feel good. It's a win win! There is a quote that says, "Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized antidepressant." Get up, get moving, work up a little sweat and start to build some strength. Allow your newfound physical strength to manifest itself into emotional strength, and maybe then you can rid yourself of those emotional vampires once and for all. Who or whatever they are. So come in, take a class, surround yourself with positive people who cheer you on and have your back. There is an amazing community at Iron Root and we all root (haha, get it?!) for one another and want each other to succeed, in and out of the studio. And who knows, maybe we'll even work in a little mantra to Ganesha during yoga just to cover all of our bases. ;)

For a lot of us, simply making it to class is a big step out of our comfort zones. We don't know how we're going to be challenged, if we're going to be asked to work harder than we want to, if we're going to be doing something that we can't do well, or pretty, or perfect. But the simple act of walking through the door and trying your best is the first step towards progress, and progress means that next time you try a little bit harder, you get a little bit faster and you find a new comfort zone. By continuing to challenge your comfort zones, you get stronger, not only physically but mentally, and it's the mental strength where growth and change truly happen.

There is an amazing phenomenon that happens when you work hard and succeed at something you think you couldn't do: you try something else you think you couldn't do. Sports psychologists know this well, but for me it was a surprising discovery: as I got stronger physically and challenged my boundaries with things I was scared to try in the gym, I suddenly found myself having the confidence to challenge my boundaries with things I was scared to try outside of the gym. I knew that if I put in the work and the effort, I could achieve success. And that's not to say that there weren't injuries and roadblocks and failures along the way. This time last year I was severely injured and suddenly couldn't do the things I loved and did well. So after being stubborn for a few months and pushing through the pain (and making things worse), I fell into a funk and became a slug. Neither of these paths did me any good, but they were safe and allowed me to stay inside my bubble of comfort. However, I became more and more depressed as my strength dwindled and my pain increased.

And then I got fed up. I was fed up with my injury, I was fed up with my laziness, I was fed up with my lack of effort. So I stepped out of my bubble and tried something new: yoga. As a yoga teacher, you might find this amusing, but yoga is a very personal thing to me and to not be good at something, especially yoga, was way out of my comfort zone. So I started going to classes where I knew I wouldn't be "good" and would be challenged in a new way. I started to learn new things and challenged new boundaries and along the way built a different kind of strength that gave my body the chance to heal. Physically and mentally. And every time I did something I thought I couldn't, I started to rebuild that confidence in my daily life as well. As they say in yoga, let go of what no longer serves you. So if my old comfort zone no longer served a purpose, then it was time to let it go. I realized that there is always a way to achieve what you want, it just might not be the way you expect.

So remember: the next time you're asked to pick up a heavier weight, or run a little faster, or look silly on your mat, embrace the challenge. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and redefine your path to success; the determination you find in that moment builds a new connection in your brain that carries over to everything you do. When you finish a hard workout and feel proud of your effort, know that you can apply that to anything you want. Because you're strong. Both physically and mentally. If you really want it, go for it. Let go of the fear and make the change you want to see in you, and your life. As quoted from a fellow SFG instructor, Hannah Fons, "I think we all agree that serious strength work can transform your life. But transformation is by its nature a violent act. In order to be rebuilt, things get torn down - and that's a big deal, whether you're talking about a nation, a building, or a person."

Time is elusive. We think we have so much and then suddenly it's gone. Take this year for example. It's already April. It's already Spring. Holidays have come and gone, resolutions have flown out the window, and yet we still say, "Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow".

But the time is now.

Living in the present moment is how we make the most of our time with whatever it is that we're doing. Being aware of your thoughts, your actions, your breath. Noticing the small details and finding gratitude for the simplest things. Appreciating the days you feel good, and the days you don't; understanding that there's a flow, a balance, a give and take. In everything. With everyone.

Yoga teaches you how to stay present, to live in the moment, to create awareness of both the internal body and the external world. One thing I encourage my students to do is to learn how to take their yoga practice off of the mat. Learn how to find the stillness of savasana in the midst of the chaos of daily life - sitting in traffic, waiting in line, getting voice recognition operators to actually understand what you said (one. I said ONE!).

To honor this mindful practice, and to help you practice being mindful, we are having FREE YOGA WEEK! That's right, every yoga class this week, from 4/6-4/11 is free. This is the perfect opportunity to try out a class, to come back to your mat, or to bring a loved one to your favorite regular class. Why? Because the time is now.

Well, our Grand Opening party was a super fun success so I guess that means we are officially official. Thanks to everyone who came out, you guys are what makes this the best job in the world. Looking forward to a great year ahead. Cheers!!

All the hard work, sweat, laughter and high fives that have happened over the past 6 weeks melts my heart. Truly. And the reason you do it? The reason you show up when you're tired and cranky and frustrated? The REAL reason? It's you. You are important to you and you show it by squeezing in a workout even when you don't want to. Even when you're busy and there are deadlines to be met and meals to be made. You know the importance of your health and making it a priority, and you know that when you feel good so do the loved ones around you. So give yourself a hug, a high five, a pat on the back. You done good, you.

As Valentine's Day approaches, there is either excitement or dread. Whether you're single or attached, you either love the holiday or you hate it. But regardless of whether you're single or attached, you can only truly love someone when you love yourself. So start there. This Valentine's Day, do something nice for you: start your morning right by taking a class with us, go for a silent walk around the block and notice all the tiny cracks in the sidewalk and beautiful trees that surround you, write a love note to yourself declaring how awesome you are; feel the gratitude of just being alive!

Afterwards you can return home happier, healthier and with a gift in hand! That's right. If you are running behind on your Valentine's Day presents, we got you covered. Seasonally appropriate we have PINK gift certificates for your loved ones: friend, mate, family member, even that stressed out co-worker that could use some time on their yoga mat! Anyone you want to share the love with, buy 'em some classes at the studio. We also have some great homemade soaps from Harry Pitz Soap Co. in our retail section (which might be a gift to yourself after your sweaty workouts!!). If nothing else, come by and give us a high five, we'd LOVE to see you!

As I like to end my yoga classes with a quote, I will do so here, too: "Self love, self respect, self worth. There is a reason they all start with "Self". You cannot find them in anyone else".

We're coming to the end of our first month and what an awesome adventure it has been so far. Thank you to everyone who has supported this crazy dream, we're excited to see where the path is headed. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events, student accolades and more!

We finally put down some roots in our first brick and mortar. GET EXCITED! We can't wait to see the transformation of the space over the next couple of months. Grand Opening beginning of November, so stay tuned for updates.